Smart Backs EdgePoint’s Deployment of Solarized Cell Towers in Off-Grid Areas

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), the wireless arm of PLDT Inc. (PLDT), is partnering with independent tower company EdgePoint Towers Inc. (EdgePoint) in its rollout of solar-powered telecommunication towers across the country, starting with 20 Smart-leased sites in off-grid areas.

As part of its ongoing efforts to integrate sustainability into its partnerships with tower companies, Smart is looking to optimize EdgePoint’s solarization initiative to boost energy security and resilience of network operations and scale up connectivity availability in the country’s underserved areas.

PLDT Chief Operating Officer and Network Head Menardo Jimenez, Jr. underscored the importance of this measure amid the volatility of global oil prices and supply, lowering operational exposure to price surges and reducing reliance on fossil fuel.

By replacing diesel with solar energy as the main power source for telco towers, Smart and EdgePoint are fortifying operations in areas where electricity supply is inconsistent in order to keep services up even during prolonged outages, severe weather — helping ensure that customers stay connected when it matters most. This move is also expected to reduce the costs of transporting fuel to power up facilities in remote areas.

“Ensuring reliable connectivity is our foremost priority, especially in communities where power supply is unstable. Solarizing these towers significantly improves uptime and service continuity by giving our equipment a more dependable energy source for our network,” said Jimenez.

This initiative also supports the PLDT Group’s decarbonization roadmap, which aims to reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 from a 2019 baseline.

Across the solarized towers, installed solar capacity exceeds 181-kilowatt peak, complemented by installed battery capacity of over 20,000 ampere-hours. This transition is expected to reduce reliance on diesel, reducing consumption by approximately 198,000 liters annually and avoiding around 545 tons of carbon emissions each year.

PLDT and Smart Chief Sustainability Officer Melissa Vergel de Dios highlighted how the initiative contributes to broader initiatives to embed sustainability into PLDT and Smart’s network operations.

“For us, sustainability is not separate from network performance—it strengthens it. By shifting to cleaner energy sources, we reduce emissions while making our network more reliable and future-ready. Our partnership with EdgePoint accelerates our progress toward building a low-carbon and resilient digital infrastructure,” said Vergel de Dios.

“We are proud to power up Smart’s sites with solar infrastructure and to continuously work alongside the company in strengthening sustainability across its network operations,” said EdgePoint CEO Suresh Sidhu. “As demand for connectivity continues to grow, it is critical that infrastructure evolves in a way that is both resilient and environmentally responsible. Our goal is to deliver dependable, energy-efficient tower solutions that not only help operators like Smart expand reliable connectivity to underserved and remote communities but also significantly reduce the environmental footprint of network operations. By integrating renewable energy sources into our infrastructure, we are lowering carbon emissions and decreasing reliance on traditional power sources while remaining committed to innovation and operational excellence.”

In August 2025, EdgePoint joined PLDT and Smart’s supplier workshop, which aimed at cascading the group’s policy on biodiversity conservation and strengthening integration of sustainability into network rollout and supply chain operations.

Smart and EdgePoint continue to collaborate on expanding the adoption of solar-powered solutions and energy-efficient processes in support of the UN SDGs 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities and 13: Climate Action.

LG Gallery+ Expands Its Digital Art Collection with Over 300 Curated Works from Sedition

 LG continues to enhance the smart TV experience by transforming screens into digital canvases through its Gallery+ platform, which now features more than 300 curated digital artworks from Sedition. This latest expansion introduces a wider selection of visual and video-based pieces, including several Gallery+ exclusives, offering users new ways to personalize their home environments through art.

Sedition, a leading digital art platform with more than a decade of experience in the field, is known for working with some of the world’s most respected contemporary artists. Its collaboration with LG marks a significant step forward in making premium digital art more accessible to everyday users. By integrating Sedition’s curated works into Gallery+, LG Smart TV owners can now enjoy museum-quality artwork directly from their living rooms.

The partnership reflects a growing trend in home entertainment technology—blending functionality with lifestyle enhancement. Instead of remaining idle when not in use, LG Smart TVs can now serve as dynamic art displays that complement interior design and reflect personal taste. Whether users prefer abstract visuals, modern digital installations, or calming motion-based art pieces, Gallery+ provides options suited to different moods and spaces.

Another advantage of this collaboration is the exclusivity offered within the Gallery+ platform. Select artworks are available only to LG users, giving them access to unique digital pieces not found elsewhere. This helps elevate the value of LG’s smart TV ecosystem beyond traditional entertainment features such as streaming and gaming.

Digital art is rapidly becoming an important part of modern home aesthetics, and LG’s partnership with Sedition demonstrates how technology companies are adapting to this shift. As more households embrace smart living environments, integrating curated artwork into everyday devices creates new opportunities for personalization and creative expression.

Ultimately, the expansion of Gallery+ strengthens LG’s vision of transforming televisions into multifunctional lifestyle hubs. By combining advanced display technology with carefully curated digital art collections from Sedition, LG is giving users a new way to engage with contemporary creativity while enhancing the atmosphere of their homes. This initiative highlights how smart TVs are evolving beyond entertainment devices into platforms that support both artistic appreciation and interior design innovation.

Lenovo and NVIDIA Accelerate Enterprise AI with New Hybrid AI Advantage Solutions

At the recent NVIDIA GTC event, Lenovo unveiled its latest Lenovo Hybrid AI Advantage™ with NVIDIA solutions, signaling a major step forward in helping enterprises deploy real-time artificial intelligence across devices, data centers, and cloud environments. The announcement reflects a broader shift in enterprise priorities, where speed, scalability, and operational efficiency are becoming critical to AI success. 

According to Lenovo, real-time inferencing is emerging as the primary driver of enterprise value from AI deployments. In fact, 84% of organizations now plan to run AI workloads not only in the cloud but also across on-premises and edge environments. This hybrid approach enables faster insights, improved responsiveness, and stronger control over sensitive data.

Lenovo Chairman and CEO Yuanqing Yang emphasized that the company’s collaboration with NVIDIA is designed to help organizations operationalize AI faster while reducing infrastructure complexity and lowering the cost per token. He noted that these solutions significantly shorten the time required to move AI projects from experimentation into production-ready environments.

To support these goals, Lenovo introduced new AI inferencing platforms powered by NVIDIA Dynamo, NVIDIA NIM, and the NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72 architecture. These technologies are built to handle large-scale, real-time AI workloads, enabling businesses to deploy advanced models efficiently across distributed infrastructure environments. 

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang highlighted that artificial intelligence has now entered what he described as a real-time production era, where enterprises increasingly rely on full-stack accelerated computing systems to power AI factories and intelligent operations at scale.

Lenovo also launched next-generation mobile and desktop workstations powered by NVIDIA RTX Pro Blackwell GPUs. These systems bring real-time AI development capabilities directly to professionals, supporting faster prototyping and deployment at the edge. 

Additionally, Lenovo expanded its Hybrid AI platforms with new ThinkSystem and ThinkEdge servers optimized for inferencing workloads. These solutions can deliver return on investment in under six months and reduce cost per token by up to eight times compared with traditional cloud infrastructure.

Beyond infrastructure, Lenovo is strengthening its AI ecosystem with industry-focused deployments across sports, retail, manufacturing, and mobility sectors. These solutions combine agentic and physical AI to provide real-time intelligence that improves operational decision-making.

Looking ahead, Lenovo’s collaboration with NVIDIA on gigawatt-scale AI cloud infrastructure powered by the Vera Rubin platform promises up to ten times higher throughput and dramatically lower operating costs. Through its Lenovo 360 partner framework, the company continues to support organizations worldwide in scaling hybrid AI from pilot projects to full production environments. 

Jamir Lyndon Lumbao Captures Manila’s Everyday Stories with the Vivo X300 Pro

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Manila-based multi-award-winning photographer Jamir Lyndon Lumbao is redefining how everyday life is captured, using the Vivo X300 Pro Photographer Kit to create striking and expressive imagery.

Although Lumbao works professionally in the financial sector, his photography journey began in 2014 when a friend introduced him to a photography group. What started as a casual interest quickly evolved into a deep passion for street photography—a genre that continues to shape his artistic vision today.

“Street photography challenges me to capture candid moments, raw emotions, and real-life situations. It allows me to tell stories through unplanned and natural scenes, which I find both exciting and meaningful,” Lumbao shared.

Drawing inspiration from both international and local photographers, Lumbao developed a distinctive style that blends artistic creativity with technical precision. His work often highlights light and shadows, reflections, and telephoto compositions, transforming ordinary Manila scenes into visually compelling images with an abstract and surreal feel.

“I would describe my photography style as creative and expressive, influenced by my background in art,” he added.

Central to his work is the Vivo X300 Pro, equipped with a 200MP ZEISS APO Telephoto Camera. Known for its exceptional clarity and depth, the device has earned global recognition, including top marks in DxOMark’s telephoto evaluation.

“My experience with the Vivo X300 Pro Photographer Kit in real-world city shooting was excellent. It’s a clear upgrade from my X100, especially for capturing distant subjects,” Lumbao noted.

The device supports 85mm optical zoom and extends up to 5400mm when paired with the Vivo ZEISS 2.35x Telephoto Extender, allowing photographers to capture distant scenes with remarkable detail. Complementing this is the Vivo PGYTECH Imaging Grip Kit, which enhances control and comfort during extended shoots.

One of Lumbao’s most memorable moments involved capturing a subject perfectly aligned within a setting sun. Despite the rapidly changing light, the telephoto capabilities of the Vivo X300 Pro allowed him to frame the shot with precision.

“Thanks to the tele extender, I was able to zoom in and capture the moment without losing detail. It turned into a truly unforgettable image,” he said.

Through his work, Lumbao demonstrates how advanced mobile technology like the Vivo X300 Pro can empower creators to turn everyday moments into powerful visual stories.

GCash Launches “Pera Coach”, Philippines’ First AI-Powered Financial Coach Embedded in an E-Wallet to Strengthen Financial Literacy

Reinforcing its role in advancing financial literacy and inclusion nationwide, finance super app GCash introduces the Philippines’ first artificial intelligence–powered financial coach to be embedded in an e-wallet. Developed with support from Microsoft and powered by enterprise-grade AI, it converses in English, Tagalog, Cebuano, and Hiligaynon to make financial services easier to understand for all Filipinos. Pera Coach responds contextually to user prompts like financial goals, budget considerations, and risk appetite, delivering guidance personalized to each user’s financial journey.

Despite improvements in the country’s financial inclusion agenda in recent years, the ability to meaningfully use a broader range of financial services, like insurance and investments, remains limited. Persistent gaps in financial literacy contribute to this low adoption, with many Filipinos lacking access to clear and credible guidance. According to a 2021 survey by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), just 2% of Filipino adults were able to correctly answer six basic financial literacy questions.

Pera Coach aims to address these challenges by providing always-on access to clear and tailored financial education within a platform millions of Filipinos already use daily.

“Financial literacy should not feel intimidating or out of reach,” said Winsley Bangit, Group Head of New Business at Mynt, the parent company of GCash. “With Pera Coach integrated directly into the GCash ecosystem, Filipinos can receive real-time guidance that’s practical, contextual, and easy to understand, helping them make more confident financial decisions.”

“Even everyday moments like deciding how much to set aside for a weekly budget, comparing different savings accounts, or choosing a potential stock, can shape long-term outcomes, and we want to support users through those moments,” he added.

Leveraging AI for inclusion

Beyond the launch itself, the launch signals a broader GCash strategy aimed at leveraging emerging technology to solve real-world financial challenges. “We firmly believe innovation should go beyond adopting the latest technology. Rather, the true value of innovation is measured by the impact it has on the lives of everyday Filipinos, especially the underserved,” Bangit continued.

Likewise, Microsoft echoes the transformative potential of generative AI when applied to real, everyday use cases.

"Millions of Filipinos already carry a financial platform in their pockets, but only one in four is financially literate. We've made real progress in financial access, but access without understanding isn’t inclusion—it’s an empowerment gap. And closing that gap is nation building," said Microsoft Philippines Country General Manager Jonathan Que.

"In working with GCash, we are putting a personal AI financial coach in the hands of every user, from the sari-sari owner in Davao to the OFW family in Pampanga. Responsible AI, built into the app millions already trust, turns everyday transactions into everyday learning. When every Filipino can understand their finances, save with confidence, and invest in their dreams, we don't just strengthen households, we strengthen the nation," he added.

To access Pera Coach and begin receiving personalized financial education content, GCash users need to open the app, go to ‘Invest’, and tap the Pera Coach banner. For more information, visit the Help Center.